Navi Mumbai Spa Busted: Husband-Wife Duo Arrested, 2 Rescued
Mumbai, April 5, 2026 — The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has busted a prostitution racket operating out of a local spa-cum-salon. Following a successful raid on Friday, authorities arrested a husband-and-wife duo who were allegedly forcing young women into the sex trade under the guise of offering massage services.
Two women, both in their 20s, were safely rescued during the operation and have been moved to a women’s shelter home in Deonar, Mumbai, following court orders.
The Decoy Operation at ‘Golden King’ Spa
The raid took place at the Golden King Salon and Spa, located in the Neelkanth Dham Society in Sector 16, Roadpali (Kalamboli node).
According to Pruthviraj Ghorpade, Senior Inspector of the AHTU, the police had received a credible tip-off regarding illicit activities at the newly opened establishment. To verify the information, the police team sent in a decoy customer who explicitly asked for sexual favors.
The manager of the spa accepted a payment of ₹4,500 from the decoy and presented two women for him to choose from. Once the transaction was confirmed, the decoy immediately alerted the AHTU team waiting outside, who then stormed the premises.
Couple Rented Shop Just a Month Ago
The arrested individuals have been identified as 33-year-old Salim Ansari, who was working as the spa’s manager, and his 26-year-old wife, Salma Ansari, who owned the business. The couple, originally from Uttarakhand and currently residing in Taloja Phase-1, had reportedly rented the commercial space just last month to start the salon before using it as a front for the sex trade.
The two rescued women hail from Mankhurd and Raigad.
An FIR has been formally registered against the Ansari couple at the Kalamboli police station. They have been booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for aggravated human trafficking, as well as relevant sections of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956. The charges include keeping and managing a premises used as a brothel, living on the earnings of prostitution, and procuring persons for prostitution.
Following their arrest, the duo was presented before the Panvel court, which remanded them to police custody until April 6 as further investigations continue.
